School shooting drills

They happen all over America, each time in a different state or a different school. When will we learn? When will we open our eyes and see that our biggest fears of our society have a chance of happening in our backyard? When did sending your kids out into the world feel like sending them into warzones?

Sadly, school shootings are a reality for America. Luckily none have affected our lives closely at Crete Monee, but what would we do if they did happen? How prepared would we be?

It sparks the question if Crete Monee should have a school shooting drill; a drill that recreates the real life scare that many people across America fear. It would be where the students would huddle into a back corner of a classroom in the dark, lock the door, and listen to the noises of what it would sound like to be in a nation shattering event.

“You can’t really tell when someone’s planning a school shooting or not, it can happen everywhere so we should just be prepared in case it happens or not.” Said Melissa Sanchez, a Junior.

Melanie Duffy, a reading teacher for Crete Monee, stated that there are soft lockdowns and hard lockdowns, but they do need to be “explicit with students about each drill and how important they are and maybe students would take them more serious when it’s time to do them.”

But when it came to the question of it they should do these drills without warning, many became skeptical. While some say they should do it without warning so students take it serious, some disagree.

Sandy Gonzalez, a junior at Crete Monee, said a strong yes and that it’s “risky and fearful” to students. Even some schools have gone as far to use smoke alarms, swat teams, and even flash guns, guns without bullets but the sound and visual effects all too real.

While Duffey says it’s a safety hazard for students with Epilepsy or who are prone to panic attacks, it’s a risk that some don’t want to take. Gonzalez, a student herself, says it’s a risk you might have to take.

“That would be smart, it would scare kids and it would prepare them better.” Gonzalez commented, stating students are too relaxed during drills and won’t take it seriously until it’s too late.

Since from elementary schools to the biggest colleges campuses in America have been targeted, are the people inside of Crete Monee worried about their safety with over 378 mass

shootings alone this year according to Massshootingtracker.org. Melanie Duffy says she’s not worried.

“I think it’s possible for an event to happen everywhere and it's important to be prepared for that but to say it’s more likely at one school than another school, it can happen anywhere and people don't see it coming.”

But went on to say that she isn’t more concerned about it happening at Crete Monee than any other school she has worked throughout her career. Drills are to ensure safety and to teach students and teachers alike what to do in the act of an emergency. Students would react scared, terrified, and knowing that life is quick and can change on the flip of a dime. Teachers want to remain calm and levelheaded. But both students and teachers would still be relieved to learn it’s only a drill and it hasn’t happen, but will we be prepared if it ever does?